ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

Article for the 70-story tower change is on bizjournal site now: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print...reet-tower-could-soar-to-70-stories.html

[rmckibben]

I don't know if I would say it looks fantastic,there's an awful lot of surface parking in there. It looks more like phase III of Avalon not a new development immediately adjacent to the Beltline. All I can muster is "It could be worse"

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

905 Memorial Drive - Fuqua Edgewood Development

I think this looks fantastic!

There's no reason to have that sort of surface parking screened by such awful shallow retail. I guarantee one of those would become a Supercuts or something of that nature.

Rather than embracing the BeltLine as the front door of the project the site plan puts a slip deck that's mostly surface parking in nature wrapped by small 1-story retail/restaurants. I'd rather see that small park become surface parking if it meant that giant semi-structured parking in front of the grocer became the scale of a park instead. This is something I could see more excusable in Chamblee or something but along the BeltLine is inexcusable.

[teejay]

Originally Posted by rmckibben

I don't know if I would say it looks fantastic,there's an awful lot of surface parking in there. It looks more like phase III of Avalon not a new development immediately adjacent to the Beltline. All I can muster is "It could be worse"

Yeah...it looks just like what they did at the Home Depot/Best Buy/Target area at Piedmont & Sydney Marcus to try and "hide" the big box stores from the street.

[West Peachtree]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeanuts

Article for the 70-story tower change is on bizjournal site now: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print...reet-tower-could-soar-to-70-stories.html

Wonder what projects and updates will be on this coming Tuesday/ Midtown DRC Agenda. Anyone care to share ideas?

[Martinman]

Originally Posted by arctk2014

There's no reason to have that sort of surface parking screened by such awful shallow retail. I guarantee one of those would become a Supercuts or something of that nature.

Rather than embracing the BeltLine as the front door of the project the site plan puts a slip deck that's mostly surface parking in nature wrapped by small 1-story retail/restaurants. I'd rather see that small park become surface parking if it meant that giant semi-structured parking in front of the grocer became the scale of a park instead. This is something I could see more excusable in Chamblee or something but along the BeltLine is inexcusable.

I like this description and I truly hate it for this location. This is clearly not the vision the vision of walkable development along the Beltline but it is classic Fuqua.

[Pemgin]

The Reynoldstown Facebook group is saying this isn't what we should expect for the final design.

[kamden99]

Originally Posted by Martinman

I like this description and I truly hate it for this location. This is clearly not the vision the vision of walkable development along the Beltline but it is classic Fuqua.

Putting the F U in Quality Urban Architecture...

[skyscraper_inspector]

Originally Posted by Pemgin

The Reynoldstown Facebook group is saying this isn't what we should expect for the final design.

They said the renderings EARLIER this week arent the latest.

Are THESE the latest?

Loopnet page with these images was last updated 4/28:

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19742797/905-Memorial-Drive-Atlanta-GA/

[Atlanta3000]

New Developments - Surface Parking

(Caveat - this does not apply to Atlanta's core Midtown and Downtown areas)

I asked a couple of my friends who are developers and investors about the surface parking in new urban developments. They said try finding a grocery store (or any retailer for that matter) that wants to be a development that doesn't have surface parking. Not to mention, costs are substantially higher to build parking garages. Therefore, developers are less likely to get financing.

As many people have noted before, Atlanta is not NYC and Edgewood is certainly not Downtown or Midtown Atlanta. Additionally, the Beltline at build out will be over 33 miles. I think it is naive and unrealistic to not expect RETAIL developments on or near the Beltline not to have surface parking.

The reason I think this project looks fantastic is purely from an architectural perspective - not from a dire hard urbanist. Given Fuqua's lack of attention to architecture/building materials in many of his previously developments, this could have easily mirrored Town Brookhaven (which in my opinion is the nutsack of the f'en devil).

Although many people on here despise areas like Alpharetta's Avalon, I think many people who live in the City of Atlanta will embrace this development because FINALLY they are getting better choices of retailers, in areas they live and so they don't have to haul their @$$ to Avalon to go shop, eat or see a movie.

For everyone's edification it costs $15,783 per parking space for a parking garage in Atlanta (based on 2014 data).
http://www.carlwalker.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/April-Newsletter-2014.pdf

[Street Advocate]

Originally Posted by Pemgin

The Reynoldstown Facebook group is saying this isn't what we should expect for the final design.

Good. I maintain the surface parking, strip mall along the beltline, and movie theater will create a dead zone.

This is the BeltLine master plan facing west down memorial:



If the residential units were closer to the BeltLine and Memorial, and surface parking in the proposed development was removed, we'd be a lot closer to a design that fits in with the area and would help support future transit.

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

New Developments - Surface Parking

A lot has to do with the games developers AND retail tenants play when it comes to getting a project developed/financed.

There are various levels of developers and investors who are either in it for the long-term or the short-term....merchant developers don't have the incentive to look at increased density to offset the costs of structured parking over surface parking. What Fuqua's providing is the lowest level of "design" meeting the BeltLine overlay standards that he will more than likely sell off before the next cycle; rather than selling a long-term urban solution to the retailers- he's selling them an inferior product in a burgeoning market because of a lack of competition to do better in this area. They (big box retailers) still get most of their "surface" parking concepts.

A grocery store wants surface parking for logistics dealing with shopping carts - a likely reason - but they also want to set themselves in a position to not have urban development block views of their building (a la a surface parking lot). Here they're required to build a slip-deck (parking isn't on sloped surfaces) in order to provide some density and the BeltLine overlay requires them to screen that parking with some retail/active use. But it's still the most prominent feature on the site plan regardless of what version of the site plans have been presented thus far.


Fuqua has been known to build shallow, inferior retail parcels along these structures and passes them off as good urban design. When the scale of the current "surface" parking structure overshadows the scale of a pocket park not even reaching 25% the size of the asphalt field next door it's anything but good urban design. It's a cop out for designing what the BeltLine Master Plan envisioned.

[skyscraper_inspector]

If anyone knows any officials in Reynoldstown who can speak on behalf of the project, please shoot me a message.

[Atlanta3000]

Originally Posted by Street Advocate

Good. I maintain the surface parking, strip mall along the beltline, and movie theater will create a dead zone.

Street Advocate - I know it's Friday, but don't you think it is a little early to be drinkin' ?

To go from this:


A reasonable person would hope for this:


And for someone to expect this, is just sheer !^& ^&*^%@$:

[DWNTWN]

Originally Posted by jpk1292000

Was this building in active use before the Home2Suites construction?

I believe this building was low rent apartments prior to the renovation. This was supposed to deliver last fall, but has taken a bit longer. It will be interesting to see if the hoteliers utilize the glass penthouse as a restaurant or club level for the hotel guests. It would provide a nice view of the city from yet another rooftop in Atlanta.

[DWNTWN]

Originally Posted by foxmccleod

It will not reach 1000 feet, but be on the lookout for the June DRC meeting. It should be exciting. And yes, there will be lots of retail.

Can you share the height it will reach? The permits should be filed in May for the variances. I was also told construction would begin in earnest in early 2017. Can you confirm that?

[Ant131531]

It's not really hard to expect midrises. Midrise apartment buildings have been getting built everywhere in this city. That was a vision...the vision to have 4+ story apartment buildings in that area with retail. There are already midrises being built or planned all along Memorial so it's not unreasonable to expect that at all...

I'm so tired of hearing the excuse "We're not NYC" as if we're supposed to just have bad planning because we're not a dense, big urban city. I don't care if we're not Manhattan or SF. It's time to say no to surface parking especially on the Beltline. We already got a crappy project from this guy literally down the Beltline because he found a crack in the Beltline's zoning.. Why do we need another just across the freeway? Let's stop allowing developers to come in and not comply with what the Beltline's zoning, planning, and ultimate VISION says.

I pray to the heavens Reynoldstown has the heart to fight back hard just like Glenwood, except this time, be successful because I'm sure the zoning here is wayyy better than the zoning in Glenwood because apparently the Beltline zoning writers "updated" the zoning to prevent terrible, unwalkable projects from being built.

Amazing how other developers are able to built dense, urban projects along the Beltline north of here, but this developer continues to want to build suburban junk. He does not care one bit about this city. Greedy.

[Street Advocate]

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

Street Advocate - I know it's Friday, but don't you think it is a little early to be drinkin' ?

If the midrises were along Memorial and the BeltLine, it would automatically elevate the design of the project. As-is, it's a complete deadzone between the retail and the residences. At least the mid-rise aesthetics are decent, emulating the warehouse/loft vibes of nearby. Considering Memorial and the BeltLine are supposed to be active though, the current arrangement is a joke.

[Atlanta3000]

Originally Posted by arctk2014

A lot has to do with the games developers AND retail tenants play when it comes to getting a project developed/financed.

Not really - it is more based on market dynamics (Rental Rate psf and supply). Until intown neighborhoods reach a population density to command a higher Rental Rate psf, I think it is lunacy to expect developers not utilize surface parking for retail developments along the Beltline. With respect to another poster's comment about retail along the Beltine creating dead zones, I completely disagree. I think most people in Atlanta expect the Beltline to be more for recreation than for transportation, but not one OR the other. And let's face it, shopping, eating and watching movies is recreation in Atlanta.

The question I think many people on here need to ask yourselves is: Does Atlanta have to be New York, Chicago or San Francisco to get a great town or do you want or do YOU want Atlanta to be New York, Chicago or San Francisco? I for one left DC to move to Atlanta because the way of like and cost are better. That is not to say I don't love skyscrapers and density, I just don't like to be packed in like a bunch of f'en sardines! And I do love driving too - YES, I said it!

[Martinman]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

It's not really hard to expect midrises. Midrise apartment buildings have been getting built everywhere in this city. That was a vision...the vision to have 4+ story apartment buildings in that area with retail. There are already midrises being built or planned all along Memorial so it's not unreasonable to expect that at all...

I'm so tired of hearing the excuse "We're not NYC" as if we're supposed to just have bad planning because we're not a dense, big urban city. I don't care if we're not Manhattan or SF. It's time to say no to surface parking especially on the Beltline. We already got a crappy project from this guy literally down the Beltline because he found a crack in the Beltline's zoning.. Why do we need another just across the freeway? Let's stop allowing developers to come in and not comply with what the Beltline's zoning, planning, and ultimate VISION says.

I pray to the heavens Reynoldstown has the heart to fight back hard just like Glenwood, except this time, be successful because I'm sure the zoning here is wayyy better than the zoning in Glenwood because apparently the Beltline zoning writers "updated" the zoning to prevent terrible, unwalkable projects from being built.

Amazing how other developers are able to built dense, urban projects along the Beltline north of here, but this developer continues to want to build suburban junk. He does not care one bit about this city. Greedy.

I agree. The reason for establishing a PLAN is to achieve a desired outcome that is different from the current reality. I truly do not understand the thinking that because the neighborhood is presently in one condition we cannot expect it to become more dense and walkable particularly when the Beltline has been such a resounding success at attracting new development.